Safety starting means for explosive-engines.



W. R; WEBSTER SAFETY STARTING mans FOR nxmsm ENGINES APPLIOATIQH FILE]? JAR. 10, 1911.

1 944315, 1 Patented Nev. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORNEY unr asses v A 'W., R. WEBSTER. SAFETYSTARTING MEANS FOR EXPLOSIVB ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1911,

2 SHEETBSHEET 2.

INVEN TOR Patented Nov. 12,1912.

nrionnzv i on @FFICE.

WILLIAM R. V/"EBSTER, F PHJELADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAIEETY STARTING MEANS FUR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent Puleul'cd Nov. 12,1912.

Application filed January 10, 1911. Serial No. 601.849.

. slur-ling means for explosive engines and llu Ulillfl'l oi my invention lo furnish an improvement in means for preventing a ro lulion of the starting crank or handle of an internal conilmsliorl engine in the event of said engine starting in a reverse direction.

in llio urcouipui'iying drawings forming purl of this specifica ion, and in which similur letters of reference indicate similar parts througlimi't the several views:-Figure 1, is a. front elevation of my safety cranking de vice; Fig. a, section of Fig. l on line A --ll. the device being in its normal, or closed, posilion; Fig. 3, 21 view similar to Fig. 2 shovel p; the device open, the position thcl: it assumes instantly should the engine huclc hick, or start in a reverse direction; Fig. l, u plan of lhe non-rotating arm of the devil l ig. 5, a section through Fig. 4 on line l"5--B; Fi 6, 21 side elevation and Fig. 7 u plun oi" llie hub upon which the working parts of my device curried; Fig. 8, a side elevation of clutch for locking the movalilc member, or cum piece, of the disengaging cums lo the sl'crling handle upon a. reverse movement of the latter; Fig. 9, a plan] of the cum piece; Fig. '10, a section of Fig. 9 on line (}C.

l is the swirling crank shaft of on explosive supine which is furnished with the usual clutch part for engagemenli with the clutch purl upon the engine shaft.

is a hub screwed or otherwise secured to the outer end of shaft 3.. The main body of this lmb as well as its outer end are cylindrical in forn. hut separating these two cylindrical ports an angular part, 4, Figs. 2. 3 and (3. preferably hexagonal in form, which is adapted to be engaged by s similarly formed hole 5 in the hub of the storeinc; handle 6.

7 is u cup passing dowu'over the outer cylindrical end of huh 3.

8 a stud the outer end (If which is threaded and screwed in'lo cup 7, the inner end of which carries a collar which is furnished with a shoulder to limitils out-ward movement. The inner end of stud 8 rests in a chamber 10 lormcd in'hul) 3 and a spring 11 hearing against the outer end of chamber 10 and the collar 9 on the stud forces this stud inward and draws the cap 8 against the hub of the starting handle 6.

12 is u washer, of felt preferably, upon the inner side of cap? to make a dust tight joint between this cap and the hub of starting handle.

The hub ofthe slartinghandle is furnished with an exteriorly threaded flange 13 which is screwed into a circular plate 14 which is placed within the cam-piece i5, 7

Figs. 2, 3, 9 and 10. The plate 14 carries a locking device by means of which this plate is locked to the cam-piecolfi u on a reverse movement of the engine she l. but

is free therefrom u on a forward movement. 5

In Fig. 8 the loc ring device is shown, consisling of a number of rollers 16 resting upon tangcnlial seats 17 formed in notches cut in the periphery of plate 14. Upon a forward movement of the shaft 3 these roll- 30 ers are driven back toward the heels 18 of the notches and permit the plate 14 to turn within the cam-piece 15 lout upon a reverse movement of the shaftthe rollers run out on the seats 17 and lock the plate 1 1 to the cam-piece 15. This locking device is so well known that detailed description of itwill be unnecessary. Any of the other well lmown locking devices for accomplishing my purpose may be used. Theouter ends of the cam piece 15 carry pockets 19 which are deeper at one end then at the other as shown in the section Fig. 10, and these pockets are adopted to hold one side of balls 20 the other side of which resl in pockets 21, car

ried in the arm 22, which is carried loosely by huh 3 and the outer end of which is adapled to he held in any convenient mannor, by a. strap 32, for instance, against rota;-

tion but not against a longitudinal move- 1 directly secured to it, the cam 15 remaining in its normal position, through the balls 20- ongoging the abrupt rear ends of their pocketc. If for any reason-the engine should not start properly upon a forward movement oftlie starting crank but should start in a reverse direction, the starting crank shaft and hub 3 would be reversed and the locking devices connecting the starting crank shaft and the cam-piece would be thrown into action and the cam-piece 15 would turn in a reverse direction with the starting crank shaft. As the cam-piece starts to move it is by the balls and the inclined pockets in which they are carried, or other cam connection between it and the arm 22, moved away from arm 22 taking with it the starting handle 6. As the starting handle moves outward its hub moves up the angular part dot the hub 3 and presently leaves this angular part and rests against the outer cylin j'drical part of the hub 3. The starting handle and the hub 3 are now out of operative connection and the hub 3 may continue tojrotate in a reverse direction without turnfiiig the starting handle. In this position some sort of a lock to prevent a premature return of the cam-piece 15 to its first, or elosed position would preferably be employed, for instance the balls 20 could drop intodepressions 31 formed in the outer end of their seats as shown in Figs. 5 and 10. As soon as the starting handle is out of operative connection with the hub 3 it comes to rest as does the cam-piece 15 which is connected to this handle through any suitable "locking means as described.

When starting the engine the clutch coupling shaft 1 "and the engine shaft are in engagement. If now a back-kick occurs shaft 1 will be turnedin a reverse direction and the locking device carried by disk 14, which is fast to shaft 1, will lock this disk to cam-piece 15 which will be turned backward with the shaft and this cam-piece will ride up on the cam connection between it and stationary lever 22. This movement will be communicated through collar 23 and pin 24 to shaft 1 which will be moved out sufficiently to uncouple clutch 2 after which the sprin 29 will move the whole device sufficiently orward to prevent an engagement of the clutch 2 until the parts are purposely pushed into engagement.

' It will be noted that the preferred form of the device herein described operates within itself and does not depend upon uncoupling the clutches connecting the starting crank and engine shafts as do most safety starting devices for explosive engines hence no particular form of clutch for coupling these parts is required.

The device being entirely selfcontained lends itself particularly for use in connection with automobile engines as it can be placed upon a starting crank shaft without it bemg necessary to make any change in the form of bracket carrying this shaft or in 'any other of the engine parts.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a starting means .for explosive cngines, in combination, a longitudinally movable starting crank shaft, :1 starting crank detachably secured to said shaft, 21 non-rotatable arm carried loosely in relation to said shaft but moving longitudinally therewith, a loose canrpiece, cams carried by said campiece and non-rotatable arm, and a means, nbn-operative upon a forward movement of said starting crank, for locking said campiece to the starting crank shaft upon a reverse movement of the latter in order to cause said cams to move said cam-piece away from said non-rotatable arm to operativcly detach said starting crank from its shaft.

2. In a starting means for explosive engines, in combination, a longitudinally movable starting crank shaft, a hub secured to said shaft an outer portion of whichis angular and the innerportion of which is circular in section, a starting crank adapted to be detachably carried by the angular portion of said hub, a non-rotatablearm carried loosely on the circular part of said hub and moving longitudinally therewith, a loose cam-piece between said non-rotatable arm and starting handle, cams carried by said cam-piece and non-rotatable arm, and a means, non-operative upon a forward movement of said starting crank, for locking said cam piece to the hub. carried by the starting crank shaft. upon a reverse movement of the latter in order to cause said cams to move said cam-piccc outward to operatively dctach said starting crank from said lmb.

3. In a starting means for explosive engines, in combination, a longitudinally movable starting'crank shaft, a hub, the inner part of which is cylindrical and the outer part of which is,angular, carried by said shaft, a chamber at the outer end of said hub, a non-rotatable arm carried by the cylindrical part of said hub and longitudix Lilly movable there with, a starting crank carried loosely on the angular part ofsaid hub, a cap surrounding said hub an resting upon said starting crank, a shoulde c stud carried in the chamber in said hub a (1 secured to said cap, a spring for normally forcing said stud inward, a loose cam-piece, 

